


Mrs. Poldark.

by Taupefox59



Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM, D/s, F/M, Femdom, Flogging, Nipple Clamps, Sub!Ross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 07:16:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7159196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taupefox59/pseuds/Taupefox59
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-ep. 6, modern AU.</p><p>Ross and Demelza get home after Ross started punching people at the Warleggan party.</p><p>Ross needs some help figuring out why what he did was wrong, and Demelza knows just the right way to help him understand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mrs. Poldark.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [msilverstar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/msilverstar/gifts).



> Beta'd by the amazing [ GoodThingsAndSmallPackages](http://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodThingsAndSmallPackages)
> 
> All mistakes left are my own. Constructive criticism always welcome!
> 
> for the prompt 'Ross does something wrong, that isn't the end of the world, but he's not perfect.' (Or something like that. ;P )

It had been a long night and an even longer morning. The scene that Ross had created with Matthew Sanson at the Warleggan party had caused the night to drag on, turning what should have been an easy evening into snowballing avalanche of tension and politics that had turned into a drunken fist-fight. Demelza sent a side-eyed glare at her husband. It seemed that most things he got involved in had a tendency to end in a drunken fist-fight. She sniffed, unimpressed, but turned to face out the window of the taxi instead of bringing anything up. Neither of them were in any shape to be having that conversation. 

The drive all the way out to Nampara was long, but Demelza was grateful for it. She could feel the tension that had slowly been seeping out of Ross the farther they got away from the scene of the crime. She could tell he had started to feel guilty when his hands got restless. He would move to touch gingerly at his swollen lip, and then move to tap at his thigh, and then drum against the door of the cab. She sighed. She wanted so deeply to be home.

Her anger was coming in waves. Ross seemed to on a steady slide down from the fever pitch he’d been in at the party, and he looked like he was approaching something near calm. Demelza on the other hand, kept tripping over agonies in her remembrances. She would be breathing deep, trying to come to terms with a single event, which would just lead her to yet another event that would set her temper flaring once again

When they pulled into the driveway, she opened the door and walked straight to the house. Ross could deal with paying for the cab. He’d made it exquisitely clear all night that he didn’t care for her help at all. 

She got to the house and went straight up to the bedroom. She wanted food and sleep, but she wanted a chat with her husband more, and she knew that the bedroom was one place he would not be able to escape her. No matter what kind of transgression Ross had taken part in, sleeping anywhere other than his own bed never even crossed his mind.

It was that kind of simplistic confidence that at once made him so dynamic, and so incredibly infuriating.

It didn’t take long for Ross to walk up the stairs, looking disheveled and a bit haggard so much heavy drinking the night before, not to mention the attempt he’d made at starting a fistfight. Demelza looked him over critically, the dark green silk shirt that had, at one point, also had a complimentary tie and a very nice set of cufflinks that Demelza assumed were lost to whatever card game Ross had been playing. His shoes were shining patent leather, and he was wearing black skinny jeans that had to be painfully tight. Demelza bit her lip as an plan formed in her mind.

Ross entered the room and she slammed him back against the door, leaning down to press her mouth to his and to steal the breath from his lungs. She was tall, and in her high-heels, she was taller than even her husband. She kissed with force, it wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t love, it wasn’t even lust. It was power. She pressed in with her tongue, trapping him in every way, he had nowhere to go that wasn’t completely filled with her.

It was quite a change from how the rest of the day had gone.

Demelza kissed him as he was panting, frantically trying to pull air in through his nose, which she blocked by tilting her head to press her face closer to his. She let her tongue linger against his back teeth until his hands came up to scratch down her shoulders in desperation. She finally relented, catching his lower lip between her teeth and pulling back until her teeth snapped together.

“Safe word.” She commanded.

He stared at her for a moment, dazed and catching his breath, then processed her words. “Copper.

She shook her head. Not good enough. “Safe word.” She repeated.

“Copper.” Ross said, and this time his voice was steady and clear.

Demelza looked into his dark hazel eyes and took a deep breath. She stepped back, giving him space. “Do you want to do this now? We can go downstairs and talk about it. We could sleep now and talk about it in the morning.” She paused and then pinned him with a glare, “We  _ will _ be talking about it, whatever you want to do.” She took another step back, “But we don’t have to do it like this, if you don’t want this right now.’’

Ross blinked at her, his mouth wet and red from her earlier attentions. He swallowed, and she could see the movement of his throat. “This.” he said, his voice rough, low and deep. “I want this.”

Demelza let her mouth quirk into a half-smile. “Good boy.” She said, then crossed to the middle of the room. She turned back to look at him, and to decide what she wanted to do with him. “Shoes and socks off. Shirt off.” she paused, “Everything else stays.”

Ross blinked twice then nodded, getting to work unbuttoning his shirt. “Yes Demelza.”

She cocked her head at that as a thought crossed her mind. “Not tonight.”

Ross stopped and stared at her in clear confusion

“Tonight, you will call me Mrs. Poldark, as you seem to have forgotten that I am, in fact, your  _ wife _ .” She said, raising an eyebrow.

Ross’s shoulders fell and he got back to work on the buttons of his shirt. “Yes, Mrs. Poldark.”

Demelza grinned. She did so like the sound of her name when he said it. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall to watch. He finally finished with his shirt, then got his shoes and socks off. His hands hovered over his belt and he sent her a questioning look.

“Everything else stays.” She said casually, pushing off from the wall and walking back into his space. He truly was a beautiful man. She ghosted her hands over his shoulders, then down his chest before leaning in to nip at his ear. “I am very, very unhappy with you.” She let her hand trail over his shoulders as she walked around to face his back. Her voice dropped low in her register as she whispered, “Do you know why?”

His breathing was uneven as he tried to find his voice. “My actions...reflected poorly-”

She bit his ear harshly, cutting him off. “You married  _ me _ , remember? I think there’s very little that you could do that would reflect worse.” She sucked the lobe of his ear into her mouth, licking at where she could feel the marks from her teeth. She let him sit with her words for a moment before pulling off. “Try again.”

He swallowed hard and said “Yes, Mrs. Poldark.”

She pulled away so he couldn’t feel the rush of breath she was repressing. She liked it when he called her by that name,  _ their _ name, now. the sound of it when Ross’s voice was low and dark; the way he always seemed to shiver a bit when he said it.

“I…” Ross started but trailed off, seeming to have trouble finding words. 

Demelza pressed herself against his back, hands wandering down his chest and down to toy at the belt buckle that was still firmly in place.

“Surely you can think of something?” She said coyly, slowly working the leather of his belt open, and smiling as she felt him shake where she touched him. Ross was always so solid and steady. He was unmovable in his path (regardless of whether or not his pathway led him straight into a brick wall). To be able to take Ross and heat him up until he would shake and lose his words...that was something that Demelza knew belonged to her alone. It was a rush like nothing else. It didn’t matter if Ross had slept with a million people before her, she could tell from the way that his eyes darkened at her words, the way she could stop his breath with just a look. 

There may have been others before, but there was only her now, and only her forever.

Ross, however, was still struggling with words, apparently at a loss for why she would be angry, if not for some kind of slight on their reputations. Which, she did have to admit, was actually true, but she knew that she meant it in a different way than he did, and that misunderstanding needed to be remedied.

“You think I’m angry because of what people will think.” She finally said, giving in and helping him out.

“Yes.” Ross replied, “but you said-”

Demelza pulled his belt from his trousers with a crack, and Ross found himself in silence once again. Hands appeared on his shoulders and spun him around forcefully. Demelza stood before him, with a strangely impassive look on her face. 

“Why did you start that fight?”

He blinked. “What?”

Demelza frowned. “I’m sorry. Do you need me to repeat myself?” Her voice was dark and dangerous.

Ross’s eyes got wide at the chill coming off of her. “No.”

“No, what?”

“No, Mrs. Poldark.”

She nodded. “Very good.” There was a moment of silence. “Are you going to answer me?”

Ross’s mouth dropped open but no words came out for a moment. He had no idea what she wanted him to say. 

“Why did you start that fight tonight.” Demelza repeated.

“Because he was cheating!” Ross said, fire lighting through his words as remembered passion once again started to pound through his veins. “He was pretending to be a gentleman, but he  _ isn’t _ ! He’s a cheat! He shouldn’t have been there, he wasn’t even very good at it, I was half-drunk out of my mind and I could  _ still _ tell he was lying-”

Demelza grabbed a fistfull of his hiar and pulled him close. “Because he was lying.” She said, coldly.

Ross nodded instinctively, but it just made her hold on his hair hurt more, the sting of his scalp burning brightly. “A liar and a  _ cheat _ !”

“A liar.” Demelza repeated, and her voice was ice cold.

Ross frowned. The chill of her words was enough to get through the heat of his anger, and he realized that maybe he was having a very different conversation than what he had originally thought.

“Go stand by the bed.” Demelza commanded. “I want you holding one of the posts.”

He obediently walked to their four-poster bed, and reached around the post, before looking to Demelza for further instruction.

“Hands above your head. I want you facing away from me.”  

Ross moved accordingly, turning his back to Demelza and placing his hands as high on the post as he could easily reach.

“Good boy.” Demelza said, and Ross smiled when he could hear the warmth back in her voice. 

Once she was sure he was settled she turned and walked back to their cupboard of toys - Ross had wanted to build an entire dungeon, and the only way that Demelza had been able to talk him out of it had been to ask what he would say if Verity ever found it, which had shut him right up. A beautiful wardrobe-sized cupboard with a gorgeously ornate lock had worked to be a suitable compromise. Demelza grabbed the key, and opened the it, knowing exactly what she was going for. 

Most times, they played for fun. Their collection was full of things that Ross loved, but there were some things in the cupboard for punishment. For the nights when Ross was going off the rails and needed something more than restraint to get himself back in line. Tonight was not for light play. Demelza picked up a set of butterfly clamps with a link about the length of her arm, then she picked up her favourite flogger. It was beautiful, soft black suede. She loved it, and Ross hated it, and tonight she wasn’t particularly interested in what Ross wanted.

She walked back to the bed, where Ross was standing as she’d left him. “You’re going to be punished. Do you know why?”

“I started a fight.” Ross said, his voice low and clear. He was positive that was the right answer. 

Demelza sighed. “I see.”  She walked to the post and wrapped the chain of the clamps once around the post. Holding the clamps in one hand she reached out with the other to pull mercilessly at Ross’s nipples until they were stiffly peaked. Ignoring his groan at the treatment she put the clamps on. He hissed and pulled away, which only made them tighter. Demelza tsked at him. 

“You know what these are. You know they only get tighter if you pull. So you’d best stay still for me, shouldn’t you love.”

Ross gasped and dropped his head forward to rest against the banister. “Yes, Mrs. Poldark.” 

Demelza smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Very good, my love.” Then she walked back around to pick up her flogger from where she’d left it on the dresser. She walked to stand behind him and took a moment to admire the shape of his well-muscled back  tapering to the waist that was still mostly hidden by his tight black jeans.

“I’m upset with you because you started a fight?” She asked.

There was silence for a moment as Ross processed the question. It was then that he realized there was something more to it. “No…?”

“Are you sure Ross?”

“Yes.” He said, and his voice was finally steady. 

“Very good.” She said. “Do you know why I’m upset with you?”

“No.” He confessed.

She sighed and stepped forward, running a gentle hand through his hair. She leaned forward and sucked the lobe of his ear into her mouth, biting it lightly before pulling off to blow on it, causing Ross to shudder at the cold. “You weren’t paying very good attention, were you.”

Ross swallowed, but didn’t answer. 

Demelza hummed and stepped back. “You get one lash for every time you answer wrong.” she said. “Safeword.”

“Copper.” The reply was strong and immediate.

She grinned. “Why am I upset with you.”

“Not because of the fight?” 

She brought the flogger down hard along the line of his dorsal muscles, just enough to the side that the tips of the suede would wrap around his side to kiss his ribs, once on each side. “Now is not the time to try and get cute with me, Ross. Try again.”

Ross took his time, trying to figure out what answer she wanted. “I...made us look bad.”  Demelza brought the flogger down again. “Why did you start the fight Ross.”

“Because Matthew Sanson is a lying, cheating bastard!” 

Demelza leaned forward and bit Ross hard at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. He pulled back and hissed when it made the clamps on his nipples tighten. Demelza simply continued to suck a bruise into his skin. When she finally released him, she licked at it softly, enjoying the salt of his sweat. “Why else didn’t you like him?”

“He was a liar!”

Demelza grinned. “Very good Ross, and what should happen to liars?”

“They should get what they deserve.” Ross ground out, his voice low and angry still.

“And what do they deserve?”

“Justice.” Ross growled out. Demelza scoffed and stepped back. 

“And what should justice be for you then?” Two more strikes across his back, these just beneath his shoulders, but still well away from his spine. Ross cried out but didn’t reply, so Demelza struck again. “What is your justice then, Ross, for your lies?”

“I didn’t-” And she struck him again, down along his ribs.

“What did you tell me, before we even left?” Demelza said, voice carefully neutral.

“I don’t-” 

“Are you sure that’s the answer you want?” She asked, giving him a chance to recover before giving himself another punishment for an incorrect answer.

Ross took his time, leaning his forehead against the banister once more, panting hard, against the pain and arousal that was coursing through him. The burning sting of the flogger, the constant ache from his nipples, the pain of his cock trapped in his stupidly tight trousers, and she wanted him to  _ think _ . 

“I…” He tried to trace the night back through the fog of anger and booze. What had he said to her? Then it struck him. “Shit.”

“What did you do wrong, Ross?”

“I left you alone.”

“And what did you say?”

“That I would stay by your side.”

Demelza hummed, dragging the flogger over Ross’s shoulders, letting him perhorresce at the feel of it. “So what does that make you,  _ Mr. Poldark _ .” She let her anger drip through her words.

Ross swallowed hard. “A liar.”

“It would indeed.” She agreed, then snapped the flogger against the tender skin under his arm.

He cried out, flinching instinctively, his hand coming off the banister, and jerking away from the pole, which only made the clamps on his nipples tighten further. He stumbled back at the fresh was of pain, and the clamps were finally pulled off his nipples as he tripped backwards. 

Demelza was there in an instant, catching him gently and holding him until she was sure he was steady on his feet, running her hands softly along his stomach, whispering soothing words into his ear as he worked through the pain and the panic of nearly falling.

When he’d finally stopped shaking he turned, having to look up as she was still fully dressed from the party, including the heels she’d worn. “I’m sorry Demel- Mrs. Poldark.” His voice was soft and rough. “I lied to you, and I was supposed to hold on-”

“Oh no.” She shushed him quickly, “No, Demelza is fine,  _ you’re _ fine my love, my husband. You’re fine. You said you deserved justice, and that was most certainly enough.”

He looked like he was about to protest, and she shook her head. “No. That’s enough of that.” 

“But I-”

“Oh, I never said we were done.” Demelza said, “But that’s enough of  _ that _ ,” she said, nodding towards the pole, where the chain and the nipple clamps had pooled on the corner of the bed.

Ross looked at her then nodded slowly.

“I think into that chair with you.” Demelza said, pointing over at Ross’s desk chair. 

Ross crossed the room, and she took her time watching him, grinning at his obvious discomfort as his back pressed against the rough fabric of the chair.

She walked across the room to stand between his legs. She hiked up the skirt of her sheath dress enough that she could press her shoe directly against his crotch. “Now, lying is wrong, and I know that next time you’ll do better, won’t you.”

He looked up at her, his dark eyes bright with lust. “Yes Mrs. Poldark.” 

She smirked, “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only conversation we need to have tonight.”

Ross swallowed and tried to brace himself for whatever his incredibly creative wife could possibly have in store for him. “Yes, Mrs. Poldark.”

Demelza toed at the bulge in his jeans and smiled wickedly.

**Author's Note:**

> By all means, come say hi! (or leave a prompt!) [ on my tumbr](http://taupefox59.tumblr.com/) too!


End file.
